Typewriting-machine



.I. A. B. SMITH.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION mu) JUNE I8. 1919.

Patented Fb. 15,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE A B. SMITH, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWRITIN G-MACHIN E.

Application filed June 18,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jesse A. B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States. residing in Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in T pewriting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This-invention relates to typewriting machines, and is herein described as applied to the Underwood standard typewriting machine. In using such machines for making out bills, it becomes exceedingly important if the work is to be done economically, that the typist be able to rapidly and accurately adjust both a bill or memorandum and a record sheet in the machine. Moreover, since record sheets are likely to have a number of their lines already written upon, it becomes important to provide means whereby the record sheet may be rapidly and accurately brought to the printing point at any one of a large number of writing lines, while the memorandum or bill head should always have the same line brought to the printing point.

Where a great many entries are to be made. one or two entries at a time upon short bill heads, the time occupied in inserting the multiplicity of bills and record sheets into the machine and removing them therefrom materially cuts down the economy effected by using a typewriting machine for this work. According to the present invention, the typewriting machine may be provided with a table above the printing point, adapted to receive the record sheet when passed around the platen in the usual way, thus enabling the record sheet to be adjusted by or impaled upon a pin or pair of pins, which serve to aline it and are at a certain number of line-spaces from the printing point. When thus alined, the record sheet may be freed from its pin or pins. and the bill head or memorandum sheet may be dropped down between the rec- .ord sheet and the platen against the bite of the front feed rolls, which thus serve as a bottom end gage. If the bill head is of the right size and the front feed roll is at the proper distance from the pins, the desired writing line upon the bill head is in alinement with the next line upon the record sheet which is to be written upon. Then a backward turn of the platen brings the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

1919. Serial No. 305,169.

proper line of the record sheet and bill head to the printing point, whereupon the writmg may proceed.

In this manipulation of a bill head, it will be seen that the record sheet is used as a front insertion guide; and to enable this to be done, the platen is so positioned as to stand clear of the usual wing scales and other paper-guiding mechanism which mlght serve to arrest the bill head while being inserted.

. Other features and advantages will herelnafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an Underwood typewriting machine shift-frame, with many parts omitted, showing my inventlon applied thereto; there being also shown a few parts adjacent the shift-frame.

Fig. 2 s a sectional side view, largely diagrammatic, showing the record sheet passed around the platen.

Fig. 3 is a similar View, showing the record sheet held against the platen by the feed-rolls and the bill head inserted behind the record sheet.

F ig. 4 is a similar view, showing the pins withdrawn and a type-bar in the act of printing upon the worksheet.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a pin and the means for releasing it.

In the usual Underwood typewriting machine, the platen 10 is journaled in the ends 11 of a shift-frame, which also includes a rear paper-table 12 joining the ends 11. The platen is adapted to be turned in the usual manner either by a knob 13 or by the line-space mechanism, which includes a line space lever 14, a pawl-carrying slide 15 and a line-space wheel 16, which is fast to the platen. In order to detain the platen at any position to which it is turned, there is pr0- vided the usual detent 17 pressed by a spring 18 against the line-space wheel 16.

According to the present invention, if a record sheet 19 is passed around the platen by inserting it over the paper-table 12, it is guided by a lower extension 20 of said paper-table past the rear feed rolls 21 and the front feed rolls 22, and then swung upward, being deflected by the usual wing scales 23, which stand close to but clear of the platen and any work-sheet passed around it. When the record sheet is'thus inserted, the typist advances it with the feed rolls cast off as in Fig. 2, and impales upon which the record sheet is adapted to it by two of its openings 24 upon a pair of pins- 25 and 26. These pins, as hereinafter described, serve. also as an indicating device for indicating the point at which the next line to be written upon should be positioned.

When the record sheet 19' is thus positioned, the feed rolls 21 and 22 'may be clamped against the platen by actuating the usual casting-off handle 27, which is connected by the usual link 28 to the usualshaft 29. The typist may nowlwithdraw the pins 25 and 26 from the openings 24 by actuating a finger-piece 30, which is fast on the end, of a shaft 31, thus causing cams 32 upon said shaft to cam-rearward'ly the springs 33 upon which pins 25 and 26 are fast, with the result that the pins are withdrawn through openings 34 in a table 35. The table 35 is mounted on brackets 36 fast to the usual cover plates 37 ofthe shift frame, being held to the brackets by a front bar 38, which is fast to the table 35 and to turned-over lugs 39 on the brackets 36.

For convenience in use, the table may be wholly or largely above the level of the cover plates 37, and may extend upwardly above the pins 25 and 26 a considerable distance, thus forming a fiat extension 40,

be laid out flat, thus enabling it to be easily centered upon the pins 25 and 26, in-

asmuch as while it thus lies flat it does not.

tend to spring clear of the pins. After the pins 25 and 26 have been withdrawn as described above, the end of the record be dropped in behind the record sheet 19.-

Since the record sheet serves as a front guide for inserting the memorandum and carbon sheets, the latter drop downwardly until they strike against the bite of the front feed rolls 22, which thus serve as a gage for them. There is nothing to arrest these sheets, since the wing scales, instead of holding the record sheet against the platen, as would be the case in some machines, allow .the bill head to pass freely. Moreover, the paper table and apron terminate at the front feed rolls, so that the bill head never reaches the point at which the apron supports the record sheet. F

The relative positions of the bite of the icator to which the next writing line' writing machine in the usual way.

may be set. 'This'pointer is herein shown as the pins 25 and 26 themselves.

To bring the writing lines 44 and 45 down to the printing point, the typist turns the platen backwardly' by the knob 13; and since the pins 25 and 26 are an aliquot number of line-spaces above the printing point, the detent 17- holds the platen with the record sheet and bill head so that their writing lines 44 and 45 are both at the printing point. The typist then writes the line, and may actuate the line-space lever 14, to rotate the platen to bring the succeedmg line or lines to be written upon to the printing point. When the writing is completed, the typist withdraws the record sheet, bill head and carbon from the type:

Variations may be resorted to within the scope ofthe invention, and portions of the improvements maybe used without others.

Having thus "described my invention, I claim:

1. In a front-strike typewriting machine the combination with a revoluble platen, of a table above the printing point upon which arecord sheet may be alined, disappearing pins at said table u on which openings at the writing lines o the record sheet are adapted to be centered, so that a selected writingline to receive the next printing is an aliquot number of line-spaces above the printing point, a rear papertable adapted to guide a work-sheet down beneath the platen, and feed rolls adapted to clamp the record sheet against the' platen, and including. a front feed roll in front of the rear paper-table so located with reference to the pins that the second sheet gaged against the bite of the front feed roll stands with its first writing line in alinement with the selected writing line of the record sheet.

2. In a front-strike typewriting machine the combination with a revoluble platen, o

a table above the printing point upon which a record sheet may be alined, a pair. of disappearing pins mounted'upon said table and upon which openings at the writing lines of the record sheet are adapted to be centered, so that a selected writing line to receive the next printing is an aliquot number of linespaces above the printing point, a rear paper-table adapted to guide a work-sheet down beneath the platen, feed rolls adapted to clamp the record sheet against the platen, and including a front feed roll in front of the rear paper-table so located with reference to the pins that the second sheet gaged against the bite of the front feed roll will bring its first writing line in alinement with the writing line of the record sheet at the 7 pins, and a finger piece for effecting the the combination with a revoluble platen, of a table above the printing point upon which a record sheet may be alined, a pair of disappearing pins mounted upon said table toward its lower edge and upon which openings at the Writing lines of the record sheet are adapted to be centered, so that a selected writing line to receive the next printing is an aliquot number of line-spaces above the printing point, feed rolls adapted to clamp the record sheet against the platen, and including a 'front feed roll so located with reference to the pins that a second sheet gaged against the bite of the front feed roll stands with its first writing line in alinement with the writing line of the record sheet at the pins, a finger piece for effecting the Withdrawal of said pins at will, and an extension of said table above the pins, broad enough to flatten the record sheet to enable it to be alined thereupon.

4. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen, of a table above the printing point upon which a record sheet may be alined, pins at said table upon which openings at the writing lines of the record sheet are adapted to be centered, so that a selected writing line to receive the next printing is an-aliquot number of line-spaces above the printing point, releasable feed rolls adapted to clamp the record sheet against the platen, and a rear paper table for guiding the record sheet down to the feed rolls, but terminating so as to leave the space free in front of the feed rolls to enable a second sheet to be inserted from the front and freely slipped down hehind the record sheet and gaged against the bite of a front one of said feed rolls, said front feed roll so positioned that the second sheet when gaged thereagainst stands with its first writing line in alinement with the writing line of the record sheet at the pins.

JESSE A. B. SMITH. Witnesses:

ELLA A. J omnoni, EDITH B. LIBBEY. 

